Village School Publishes Counter-Proposal to Closure Plan

Governors at a Village School in Carmarthenshire, Ysgol Meidrim, have been informed that the 6-week consultation on a proposal to close their school will begin today (16.01.2026), according to a message received by Chair of Governors Ann Jones from the Council's Chief Executive Wendy Walters.

The original start date of 13th January had been delayed because the Council had not prepared the Welsh-language translation of the consultation documents in time. It is expected that both versions of the document will appear on the Council's website today.

The Governors have responded by publishing on the first day of the consultation period their counter-proposal upon which they have been working since the Cabinet decision in November to go to consultation.

The Governors proposal is to plan a viable future for the school by developing it in parallel out of school hours as a viable Community Hub. Their 73-page document contains detailed research and a cost-benefit analysis of the project including lists of the various funding sources available to get the project running. The viability does however depend on the school being retained on the premises as a focal point for young families and as an integral part of the funding model. In addition, the governors have published a helpful supplement detailing ways by which the Council could save a quarter of a million pounds from its education budget without depriving communities of their schools.

The hope now is that Council officers will be asked by elected members to use the 6-week consultation period to engage with the Governors to discuss the proposals in detail during the 6-week period in a genuine attempt to reach a positive outcome.

On behalf of the Governors, Sian Straczek of Meidrim said:

"As school governors at Ysgol Meidrim, we were very disappointed that we are not given a proper chance to explore all future options for the school with the council officers. 

"The statutory code requires the Council to have explored with us all options before proposing closure or the "Presumption against Closure" of Village Schools becomes meaningless. 

"We have worked hard on this carefully-costed counter-proposal to develop our school as a valuable community hub out of school hours, and hope that we shall now be given the opportunity during the consultation period for practical discussions with the officers in a spirit of co-operation".

The Governors have also launched today their campaign logo "Mlaen Meidrim" ('Forward Meidrim') to signify their confidence for the future, and also their campaign video which demonstrates the importance of the school to the community.

On behalf of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Sir Gar, Ffred Ffransis said:

"The Council's own figures show that there will be 39 pupils at Ysgol Meidrim in 2 years, and that the total saving from closing the school (after deducting additional extra school transport costs) is only claimed to be £13,000 p.a. If such a school is closed, then 20 more rural Welsh-medium schools will be under threat in a total annihilation of our rural communities.

"The Governors at Meidrim, all volunteers, have produced an amazing document and deserve a proper hearing, not just the standard negative written responses. Their counter-proposal could be an exciting pilot project in rolling out both community-based primary education and the wider revival of our Welsh-speaking rural communities. Over the last decade Carmarthenshire County Council have been far more open in their discussions than was previously the case, and our hope is that there will now be positive and two-way discussion rather than the usual sterile negative responses."

The counter-proposal "Cynnig Ysgol Meidrim 2026" can be seen here